Hypericum plant named ‘Allpista’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Hypericum  plant named ‘Allpista’, characterized by its relatively short and broadly upright plant habit; low vigor to moderately vigorous growth habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit and high fruit density; glossy yellow green-colored fruits; and suitability as a garden and container plant.

Botanical designation: Hypericum hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ALLPISTA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hypericum plant, botanically known as Hypericum hybrida, typically grown as garden or container plant and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Allpista’.

The new Hypericum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cuijk, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new relatively short Hypericum plants with numerous attractive fruits and good garden and container performance.

The new Hypericum plant originated from an open-pollination in September, 2011 in Cuijk, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Hypericum hybrida identified as code number 10-3-1, not patented, as the female, or seed parent with an unknown selection of Hypericum hybrida as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Hypericum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Cuijk, The Netherlands in September, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Hypericum plant by vegetative cuttings in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Cuijk, The Netherlands since September, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Hypericum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Hypericum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Allpista’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Allpista’ as a new and distinct Hypericum plant:

-   -   1. Relatively short and broadly upright plant habit.     -   2. Low vigor to moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Freely flowering habit and high fruit density.     -   5. Glossy yellow green-colored fruits.     -   6. Suitable as a garden and container plant.

Plants of the new Hypericum differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Leaves of plants of the new Hypericum are darker green than         leaves of plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Hypericum produce spherical-shaped fruits         whereas plants of the female parent selection produce         ovoid-shaped fruits.

Plants of the new Hypericum can be compared to plants of the Hypericum hybrida ‘Allboo’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 14/998,486. In side-by-side comparisons, conducted in Cuijk, The Netherlands, plants of the new Hypericum differed primarily from plants of ‘Allboo’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Hypericum were shorter than plants of         ‘Allboo’.     -   2 Leaves of plants of the new Hypericum had bluntly acute apices         whereas leaves of plants of ‘Allboo’ had obtuse apices.     -   3. Plants of the new Hypericum and ‘Allboo’ differed in fruit         color as plants of ‘Allboo’ produced bright green-colored         fruits.     -   4. Plants of the new Hypericum were suitable as a garden or         container plant whereas plants of ‘Allboo’ were suitable as         cut-flower plants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Hypericum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Hypericum plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a flowering plant of ‘Allpista’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical stem, leaves and developing fruits of ‘Allpista’.

The photograph on the third sheet is a close-up view of a typical plant of ‘Allpista’ with mature fruits.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and following description were grown in September in an outdoor nursery in Cuijk, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial container Hypericum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 13° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 6° C. to 16° C. Plants were seven months old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Hypericum hybrida ‘Allpista’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Hypericum             hybrida identified as code number 10-3-1, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Hypericum             hybrida, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 to 14 days at             temperatures about 12° C. to 30° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 14 to 20 days at             temperatures about 12° C. to 22° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 24 to 32             days at temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 30° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 28 to 36             days at temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 22° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fleshy; typically white in color,             actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Perennial shrub; relatively short             and broadly upright plant habit; low vigor to moderately             vigorous growth habit.         -   Branching habit.—Moderately freely basal branching habit;             pinching enhances lateral branch development.         -   Plant height.—About 36 cm.         -   Plant width (spread).—About 33 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 14.9 cm. Diameter:             About 2.5 mm. Internode length: About 4.5 cm. Strength:             Moderately strong to strong. Texture and luster: Smooth,             glabrous; moderately glossy. Color, developing: Close to             145A. Color, fully developed: Close to N199C to N199D. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 5.8 cm.         -   Width.—About 3.7 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Bluntly acute.         -   Base.—Truncate to obtuse.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Slightly             rugose; glabrous; slightly glossy.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Darker than 143A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to between 137C and             138A. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Darker than             between NN137A and 147A; venation, close to 144B. Fully             expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to between 138A and             138B; venation, close to 150C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type, arrangement and flowering habit.—Single rotate             flowers arranged in terminal and axillary compound cymes;             freely flowering habit with about nine flowers per cyme and             about 180 flowers developing per plant; flowers face mostly             upright.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower continuously from             late June to early September in The Netherlands.         -   Flower longevity.—Flowers last about two or three days on             the plant; flowers not persistent.         -   Fruit longevity (postproduction).—About 30 days.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Shape: Roughly globular. Color: Close to 13B.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 5.3 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 6.2 cm.         -   Flower diameter.—About 2.7 cm.         -   Flower depth (height).—About 1.8 cm.         -   Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five in a single whorl.             Length: About 1.3 cm. Width: About 1 cm. Shape: Ovate,             concave. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Luster,             upper surface: Matte. Luster, lower surface: Slightly             glossy. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface:             Close to 12A; color becoming closer to 13A with development.             When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 12B.         -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five in a single whorl.             Length: About 7 mm. Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Ovate;             slightly to moderately reflexed. Apex: Acute. Base: Broadly             cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Dull.             Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 141A. When             opening, lower surface: Close to 137C to 137D. Fully opened,             upper surface: Close to 141A. Fully opened, lower surface:             Close to 137D.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 1.75 mm.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Moderately strong.             Aspect: Erect to about 45° from vertical. Color: Close to             145A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 1.4 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Moderately strong.             Aspect: Erect to about 45° from vertical. Color: Close to             145A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 90.             Filament length: About 1.3 mm. Filament color: Close to 13A.             Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther shape: Broadly oval;             dorsifixed. Anther color: Close to 19A. Pollen amount:             Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 13A. Pistils: Quantity per             flower: Single pistil with three stigmas. Pistil length:             About 4 mm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close             to 33A to 33B. Style length: About 3.5 mm. Style color:             Close to N144B. Ovary color: Close to 150B.         -   Fruits.—Quantity per plant: About 250. Length: About 1.3 cm             Diameter: About 1 cm. Shape: Spherical. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster: Glossy. Color: Close to N144A to N144C.         -   Seeds.—Length: About 0.9 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm. Color:             Close to 200A. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Hypericum have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Hypericum     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Hypericum have been     observed to tolerate high temperatures about 30° C. and to be hardy     to USDA Hardiness Zone 7. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Hypericum plant named ‘Allpista’ as illustrated and described. 